Antioxidant, α-Glucosidase Inhibitory, and Anti-Inflammatory Activities and Cell Toxicity of Waxy and Normal Wheat Sprouts at Various Germination Time

Inhwa Han

doi:10.3390/app11167755

Abstract

Germination is an effective process to improve the bioactivities including antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities of grains, but its effect on waxy wheat has not yet been actively studied. This study, therefore, examined the effect of germination time on the activities of Korean waxy and normal wheat sprouts. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents, and antioxidant activities of the waxy and normal wheat sprouts increased with germination time. Flavonoid content and antioxidant activity were higher in waxy wheat sprouts than in normal ones, but the total phenolic content and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity were not significantly different. The NO production ratio of MEF cells was higher for waxy wheat sprout than for normal ones, thereby indicating lower anti-inflammatory activity of waxy wheat sprouts. The viabilities of Caco-2 cells treated with waxy wheat sprouts was higher than that of cells treated with normal ones for the water extract. These results imply that waxy wheat sprouts exhibit better antioxidant activity and less cell toxicity for water extract, and therefore, could be used as a health-promoting food.

Highlights

Consumers preference towards functional foods is increasing, and these functional foods exert diverse health benefits including antioxidant, hypoglycemic, and anti-inflammatory activities
This study examined the effect of germination time on bioactivities including antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities, and the effect on cell viability and nitric oxide (NO)
Wheat sprouts were extracted with water or 80% ethanol to determine their activities, and the activities were compared between the two solvents to identify more beneficial extract

Summary

Introduction

Consumers preference towards functional foods is increasing, and these functional foods exert diverse health benefits including antioxidant, hypoglycemic, and anti-inflammatory activities. The processing methods to improve the health benefits of food materials are preferred, and this includes germination. Germination is a traditional method of processing the grains, which improves the quality characteristics as well as reduces anti-nutritional factors of grains [1,2]. Wheat can be classified into two categories, waxy and normal, based on the ratio of amylose and amylopectin contents in starch. The amylose content in starch impacts the physicochemical properties of wheat flour and the quality of its products [6]. Waxy wheat is known to produce strong gluten in wheat flour [7] and exhibits a shorter dough development time [8]

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Conclusion